Local area network (LAN) systems are becoming increasingly popular in the modern work place. Typically, LAN systems comprise a plurality of cubicles, or workstations, each having a telephone and computer terminal for use by the employee assigned to the workstation. Each workstation, therefore, has wiring associated therewith for establishing voice and data communication to the telephone and computer, respectively, through which the workstation is connected to the network. A popular example of such a system is Ethernet, a baseband LAN supported by Xerox, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Intel.
In conventional LAN systems, the wiring from each workstation is routed into a wiring closet and electrically connected to one of a plurality of patch panels disposed therein. Each patch panel is, in turn, connected to a hub by a plurality of patch cables having suitable connectors at each end. In a relatively large LAN system, it is not uncommon for a wiring closet to include numerous patch panels (sometimes referred to as distribution panels), hubs, and related components, all of which are interconnected by an assortment of patch cables.
As a conventional network grows in terms of the number of workstations and their capabilities, so does the number of patch cables. At some point, the number of patch panels and associated patch cables may become effectively unmanageable, making the addition or substitution of equipment inordinately difficult, time-consuming, and error prone. This problem has been most recently recognized when a system including patch panels and patch cables is upgraded from a Category 3 (operating at 10 megahertz) to a Category 5 (operating at 100 megahertz), which typically requires replacing and/or reconnecting all affected patch panels and cables from the original hub to the upgraded hub. With the regular introduction of newer, faster equipment in the industry, such physical obstacles to upgrading a system are becoming increasingly problematic. Accordingly, it has been found highly desirable to devise an apparatus which facilitates the installation of upgraded electronics in a LAN system.